Burkina Faso President begins four-day visit

Burkina Faso President begins four-day visit

JAKARTA (JP): Burkina Faso and Indonesia are examining the
possibility of boosting commercial ties between the two countries
through counter trade deals.

After a courtesy call by Burkina Faso President Blaise
Compaore on President Soeharto yesterday afternoon, Indonesian
Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono told journalists that the
possibility of counter trade had been discussed by the two
leaders.

"Burkina Faso is a country which produces cotton while
Indonesia, on the other hand, is country which produces various
textile products," Moerdiono explained,

Cotton is the main export commodity of the west African state
of nearly 10 million people.

Compaore arrived yesterday four a four-day visit accompanied
by four of his cabinet ministers to further enhance relations
with Jakarta.

This morning Compaore is to hold bilateral talks with Soeharto
before giving a speech at a luncheon hosted by the Indonesian
Camber of Commerce and Industry at the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel.

He will also witness a signing of an economic agreement
between the two countries by Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali
Alatas and his counterpart Ablasse Quedraogo.

Tomorrow, Compaore will go on to Bandung, West Java, where he
will visit the state-owned aircraft manufacturer IPTN, and the
Asia-Africa Conference museum before heading off to the resort
island of Bali.

He will then leave for Turkey on Thursday to continue the next
leg of his overseas tour. (mds)